Cap tipping reserved for Astros’ opponents

TORONTO – It’s a little too early in the season for the Astros to seem so overmatched.

Even though their offense is racing to take over the major league lead in strikeouts, the sentiment following the team’s sixth loss in seven games was “tip your cap.”

The Blue Jays, 7-3 winners on Wednesday behind starter Brandon Morrow, can sweep the three-game series on Thursday.

Astros starter Lucas Harrell showed improvement from his terrible first outing, even if he didn’t last five innings. A Matt Dominguez throwing error at third base in a three-run fifth inning was Harrell’s undoing. Well, that, and throwing 107 pitches in 41⁄3 innings.

“I felt a little bit better,” Harrell said. “In the middle innings, I felt like I really made some good pitches. And then in the last inning, I made the pitch when I needed it. And 100 times out of 100, Matty makes that play. I have all the confidence in the world in him. He’s probably our best infield defender.”

A hard thrower, Morrow was indeed extremely good – and relatively efficient – for six innings. He struck out nine and allowed three runs, five hits and just one walk.

But even if one excuses the paltry plate discipline Wednesday, does that mean the Astros (3-6) are in any better position for Thursday? They’ve lost six of their last seven and three in a row. They haven’t played 10 games yet.

The offense has fanned 83 times on the season, a total that would have been good for the major league lead entering Wednesday. They’re hitting just .199 and daring the Mets, the only other team struggling similarly, to do worse.

“I don’t look at the overall number of the strikeouts,” second-year manager Bo Porter said. “I look at the quality of the at-bats. I felt like tonight their guy really, really established a power fastball and really sped our guys up, which amounted to the expanding of the strike zone. So sometimes you’ve just got to tip your cap to the other guy. That guy was pretty good.”

Fight too little, too late

All of the Astros’ runs came in Morrow’s final frame.

With the Astros trailing 5-0, Dexter Fowler started the inning with a single. Alex Presley – who was just moved into the two-hole Wednesday – hit a two-run homer to right-center on the next pitch. Jose Altuve’s triple two batters later led to the last run in the frame and a trimmed Jays lead to 5-3.

But in a parallel to the night before, a late home run crushed any momentum the Astros had built. Brett Lawrie’s two-run shot off reliever Josh Zeid was Wednesday’s buzz kill in the bottom of the seventh.

The homer came right after round-bodied catcher Dioner Navarro stole second base to a standing ovation in a mostly empty Rogers Centre. The game, nationally televised on ESPN2 for some reason, had jumped the shark.

There’s no question Morrow’s a good pitcher. Presley saw Morrow play in the Cape Cod League, when Morrow threw “fuzz” around 100 mph, as he recalled.

“It’s just a discipline thing,” Presley said. “When he throws mid-90s, sometimes he can speed you up at the plate, and you may have to make quicker decisions. And sometimes you swing at something you don’t want to swing at because of that.”

But the Astros didn’t have a hit in the next three frames against the Jays’ bullpen until there were two outs in the ninth.

Tag-teaming in majors?

At least with Fowler back from a stomach illness, there’s a sign of life. Porter couldn’t shuffle cards as fast as he’s shuffled lineups.

As for Harrell, he seemed to improve his standing, as much as any outing in which a starter is charged with four runs in fewer than five innings can. He walked three, struck out two and allowed seven hits.

“I haven’t seen the final line, but I’m just looking at the body of the work and the fact that he kept the ball on the ground,” Porter said. “I feel like it was much improved.”

It’s well known that the Astros are using two starting pitchers per game in the minor leagues – an experimental system they’ve implemented at every level.

Who knew they planned to use tandem starters in the majors, too?

Both of Harrell’s starts have turned into piggyback outings with Jerome Williams. But Williams had to leave in the sixth inning with a right groin strain. He’s day-to-day.